


When the Crow Cries

by Uchihaclvn (theflickerninja)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Hokage Uchiha Itachi, M/M, No Uchiha Massacre
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:48:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23226601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theflickerninja/pseuds/Uchihaclvn
Summary: “When we fully understand the brevity of life, its fleeting joys and unavoidable pains; when we accept the facts that all men and women are approaching an inevitable doom: the consciousness of it should make us more kindly and considerate of each other." — Clarence Darrow
Relationships: Uchiha Itachi/Uchiha Shisui
Comments: 9
Kudos: 33





	When the Crow Cries

If the situation had been different, Shisui may have been a little more careful in the way he handled Itachi’s clothes. Three long years apart had finally ended in a trail of ninja gear and traditional garments strewn across the floor, the Hokage haori being the only item to safely land on the dresser.

Itachi breaks the kiss first, lips plush and swollen, and leans his head back to gasp out into the night air. Shisui’s jaw slacks and he grunts with the way his little bird tenses around him, letting him know he won’t last much longer.

“Shisui—” Itachi's slender fingers tighten on the headboard, his rhythm faltering for a second in the way it tended to when he was close. He hangs his head, too far gone to worry about the loose, long dark hair spilling down his shoulders and draping along the curve of his spine. Shisui takes note. Before he left, it reached around the middle of Itachi’s back and now it was long enough to tickle his inner thigh. 

“I know, 'Tachi, look at me,” he says and reaches up to coax his face. The deep flush is warm against his palm and he can feel long eyelashes flutter along his skin.

Itachi kisses his hand like a drunken man would slur his words and lifts his heavy lids, looking down at him with bright red rings around the deep eclipses in his eyes—a reflex Shisui would never grow tired of.

They pant in sync, Shisui’s hands gripping firm thighs and Itachi’s own moving to rest over and keep them tethered to his sides. He squeezes down and feels Shisui drive in hard, prompting him to throw his head back and cry out in a silent, final gasp. Shisui follows soon after and closes his eyes, teeth baring down with a low grunt as his mind gets blanketed in a hazy sheet of white.

It takes them a moment before their breathing picks up again and, once he’s finally able, Itachi laughs. It’s light, airy and sounds like everything Shisui’s missed in the three years he’d been away from him. He squeezes at his thighs again once Itachi’s fingers loosen, and thumbs at the soft curves and minor scarring along his skin.

“I’ve missed you,” Itachi says first, lifting off of Shisui to sink down by his side and nose into his beloved’s neck. He presses a few more kisses along his feverish skin, a gentle smile growing on his face. The words would’ve been obvious had they fallen on anyone else’s ears, but Shisui knew the weight they carried.

“I’m glad to be back home.” The older Uchiha returns the kisses with several to Itachi’s forehead, “I know it’s my duty, but I really hated being away from you for so long. Your hair has gotten so much longer since I’ve last seen you.”

Itachi slips his hand between them to rest along the warm expanse of his lover’s chest. “And you’ve gotten much bigger since I have last seen you. I guess we aren't kids anymore.” It comes out in a whisper and Itachi feels his favorite laugh against his nose.

Shisui lets his hand slide down Itachi’s hair and rest over his shoulder, squeezing him close as he mumbles, “You can thank Sasuke for that.” Another kiss. “Training him was a workout in itself.”

“He’s certainly gotten stronger, and I have  _ you _ to thank for it.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” Itachi can feel Shisui’s laugh again, this time in his chest, vibrating under his fingers. “I love him just as much as you do.”

Itachi hums, and the little curve in his lips almost challenges Shisui’s words. “How’s your eye? You left in such a hurry last time, I was worried it wouldn't heal properly.”

“It's fine, for the most part.” Shisui lets his fingers trace over a smooth scar on his little bird’s hip; a small horizontal line to serve as a reminder of the delay between the sharingan’s perception and the body’s reaction time. Itachi didn’t have many battle scars, in fact, the majority of them came from their training when he was still a genin. 

Another hum, and Itachi starts sitting up. For a fraction of a second, Shisui takes note of the crease in his brow and wonders if he’ll get away with minimal details for a little longer before he’s forced to give in and talk about what really happened while on his mission. He watches as Itachi’s fingers brush some of his hair over his shoulder and weighs his options. 

"Were there any complications?" Itachi asks, lifting two fingers in front of the older Uchiha’s face. There’s a warm, healing aura around them and Shisui begins to relax.

"Not besides the usual,” he says once he feels Itachi’s soothing touch against his eyelid, the throbbing sensation slowly fading to the back of his mind.

"You're being vague.” And Shisui can hear that casual tone start to falter, a paper-thin facade Itachi often put on for himself. “How long is the delay? There was one before you left. A half second if I--"

"'Itachi," He can feel his jaw tense and regrets the way his name came out so quickly. “I know you’re worried, but trust me, it’s fine.”

“You left immediately after the transplant, Shisui.” He hears a sigh that sounds like Itachi had been holding it in for years. The healing stops when his hand moves to cup Shisui's cheek. “You didn’t even take the two weeks Tsunade gave you to recover. I just want to make sure it hasn’t gotten worse since then." 

Shisui knows this, just as he knows the slight drag between the two eyes has, in fact, gotten worse. 

Since losing the damn thing to Danzo and subsequently getting it back, it hadn’t operated as seamlessly or efficiently as it once did and only continued to get worse the more he used it. Still, the difference (for now at least) wasn’t noticeable to the naked eye and hadn’t interfered in battle as of yet. Only someone with specifically trained eyes would be able to suspect something wasn’t totally aligned with him.

Fortunately for him, when your fiance is also a child prodigy, turned Anbu captain, turned medical ninja, now turned Hokage, you realize he has a very specific skill set that relies heavily on maintaining his  _ well-trained eyes _ .

Their eyes meet and challenge each other, Shisui not wanting to plant anymore of the worrisome seeds Itachi was prone to sowing and Itachi beginning to sow them anyway. Leaving so soon may not have been the best move, but the escort mission—  _ his _ escort mission couldn’t be put on hold while he lazed around in bed. 

“‘Tachi,” Shisui tries again, but Itachi’s eyes glow red, so red, he isn’t sure it’s the sharingan alone. 

“Just,” There’s that crease in his brow again and despite Itachi’s beauty, Shisui hates seeing it there. “Just let me make sure— with my own eyes.”

Shisui gives in and lets his sharingan swirl into view, the three dark tomoe shifting into its pinwheel shape. His right eye lags behind, evident in the way it starts to ache again once his mangekyou stretches and settles into place. 

“There’s a  _ two second _ delay between the two eyes." Itachi pulls away completely and Shisui feels a piece of himself leave with him as he heads toward the bathroom. 

“I didn't want to upset you on my first day back, we can always talk about this later. I don't think now is really the best time to have such a serious discussion.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me? I could've—”

“Dropped everything to travel for six days up north to come see me?” He doesn't like it when Itachi gets like this; all worked up and worried about the inevitable. 

The deterioration was the best outcome after what had happened, and there wasn’t going to be a way to avoid it. They both knew that going into it and both had time to come to terms with the result.

“That's exactly what I didn't want.” He pushes off the bed and sits up, holding his head in his hands to reorient himself. He hears the water start and takes that as his cue to head over and join his little worry bird in the shower. “You putting your dreams on hold when they were right in the palm of your hand was not an option.”

Itachi's washing his hair, back turned as if Shisui wasn’t standing a few feet behind him. Like this, he actually got the chance to see how long Itachi’s hair had truly gotten and he’s sure Itachi has never had an actual haircut in his life. The longest tips rested just over the plushness of his ass, hiding away the beautiful back muscles and the way they rippled under his skin at the slightest movement. In truth, he found himself wanting to reach out and kiss down his spine and soothe all of his worries away.

Itachi turns and stretches an arm out to him, effectively tugging Shisui from his thoughts. He rests his back along the misty tiles and there's the slightest hint of a smile on his face. 

Shisui thanks the gods he isn’t mad at him and steps in, arms surrounding Itachi’s slender frame to keep him close. Itachi’s lips press to his shoulder and Shisui lets out the sigh he'd been holding since he walked in. “I’m back now so you can feel free to worry about me all you— ow!”

Itachi looks up, sharingan still bright and present. “They're valid concerns.” He mumbles into his shoulder, kissing over the ‘love bite’.

“After three years, I suppose you'd have some— now, c’mon, put those away and look at me with your pretty eyes.” 

Itachi's eyes darken and flick up to meet Shisui’s gaze through long lashes, a slender eyebrow jumping in question.“I accompanied my father in retrieving Sasuke, Shisui. That was six months ago. Did you forget?”

“We only saw each other for two minutes.”

“We kissed behind the Feudal Lord’s office,” Itachi sighs and leans his head to the side. A smile starts to grow on his lips and Shisui takes the opportunity to leave tender kisses along his neck and shoulder, sending new chills down his spine. “--And Father found us and didn’t speak to me until we returned home. We were lost in each other for twenty-seven minutes, he counted.” 

“Your dad knew?” The kissing stops and Itachi has half the mind to throw on a pout.

“I wasn’t exactly subtle.”

“Itachi.”

The younger Uchiha turns to face him again and reaches his hand up to cup his cheek. Their dark eyes meet and lock onto each other as if searching deep within to find what was being left unsaid. Itachi is drenched, they both are, but the added wetness around his eyes and the subtle glossy sheen in the whites of his eyes sends an unwelcome shiver down Shisui’s spine. 

He feels Itachi’s hand shift behind him for a second and soon their lips are crashing together in a kiss full of haste, teeth, and tongue that leaves the older Uchiha with an odd sense of relief once he feels him pull away.

"Father said yes." Itachi whispers. Shisui's eyes widen and he reaches back to turn the water off to make sure he heard him correctly. “He gave his blessing.”

It's the first time Itachi has told anyone out loud and it shakes him to hear it like this, worrying his bottom lip red in a weird mix of excitement and anticipation. "I'm going to speak to Izumi after the acceptance ceremony at the Academy today. She recently returned from a mission herself—I wanted to give her time to rest.”

Typical Itachi, always putting others before himself. Shisui closes his eyes and rests their foreheads together, thumbing along the softness of his cheeks in a soothing effort to keep his composure.

"Father was opposed to it at first, but I want the wedding to be public. I want to be open with the village and the people I promised to protect, it's only the right thing to do if—"

"Itachi." Shisui finally speaks and pulls back just enough for their eyes to meet again. Itachi blinks up at him and feels his heart swell at the warm smile, tears streaming down his lover’s face. "How on earth did you manage to convince your dad?"

**∞**

“Ah, it’s been so long since we’ve last sat together like this.” Izumi smiles, arms stretching above her head before resting behind her. She kicks her feet over the edge of the dock and hums, “But I guess that’s the life of a shinobi.”

A light green bag of dango rests comfortably between them and, for a moment, Itachi feels as if he’s taken a step backward in time. They’re much older and bigger than before (evident in the way the tips of his toes just barely miss the water below now) but the overall atmosphere brought an overwhelming sense of nostalgia he didn’t so often experience.

“I’m sorry for asking to speak with you like this on your day off” he says, slipping one sweet dumpling into his mouth.

“No, no, it’s fine. It’s always a pleasure to see you, Itachi. You know that.” Izumi chuckles, nudging his arm gently. “Now that you’re Hokage, I wasn’t so sure we’d get the chance to speak informally like this.”

“How was your mission?”

“Not as exciting as I would’ve hoped but I think that’s a good thing.” Izumi turns to face him, dango stick pressed against her lips like a finger. She winks and Itachi’s first reflex is to look away. “I think that means what you’re doing is actually working. Everyday we move closer and closer to peace.”

“I would like to see it achieved in this lifetime, even if it means we have to push forward a little more.. aggressively.” He presses the pad of his finger to the tip of his treat. 

“Itachi.” Her slender hand rests on his leg prompting him to turn and face her. “I never got the chance to thank you for what you’ve done for me.”

He gulps.

“I mean, I’ve never really told anyone about my dream to become a strong shinobi like my father; I was afraid with the arranged marriage and the clan, that no one would take it seriously and I’d be forced to give it up.”

“You don’t have to thank me for helping you achieve your dream, Izumi,” he says, voice quieter than he had intended. “You’re my best Anbu captain. I think your skill and ability to handle difficult situations further proves you were the right person for the job.”

“That’s why,” her hand balls along his thigh, bunching the fabric of his kimono under her fingers. “That’s why I want you to continue to rely on me for difficult tasks. I want to help you achieve your dream as well, Itachi.”

“Okay.” He swallows down the knot beginning to form in his throat, unable to bring himself to finish the rest of his dango or find any more words to offer.

She doesn’t push and they sit in a lingering silence.

"I can't go through with the arranged marriage," he finally says, eyes trained on water. "I told my father I wouldn't do it. I—"

"Because you love Shisui, right?" she asks and there isn’t a single break in the way she smiles at him, face still bright as ever. Itachi pauses which causes Izumi to exhale a lighthearted breath. "Ah, it's so obvious, Itachi, everyone knows."

"Are you upset?"

Izumi shakes her head. “When I was younger, I really did want to marry you, but I think it was because it was expected of me. I secretly didn’t want to give up my dream, so I hurried up and graduated as soon as I could from the Academy. I wanted to achieve my dream before I’d have to give it up, you know?” She starts laughing but there’s a hint of sadness. “When you recommended me for the Anbu, it felt like you were telling me to pursue my dream and I am forever grateful to you for that. I know how much you dislike the life of a shinobi, but you still supported me. I really thought I loved you then.”

Itachi doesn’t look at her and in truth, he’s not even sure he can. Each word he hears causes his stomach to knot and turn in a mix of feelings he isn’t sure he could assign a name to.

“But, when I joined the Anbu, I met someone and with her, I discovered a different kind of love. I want to be with her forever. It reminds me of how my mom always felt and talked about my dad, maybe even how you feel about Shisui.”

_ Huh? _

"Izumi, I—"

She shakes her head and watches him bow his, "You're far too busy, I didn’t expect you to know, Itachi. We aren't kids anymore. You're Hokage and I'm an Anbu captain; we lead totally separate lives now.”

“Yeah.”

“— and now you're getting married to Shisui, right? Or else we wouldn’t be having this conversation and we’d just push it off like we did for years.” Her hand brushes some of her hair behind her ear. "I'm happy for you; just don't assign any missions for me on your wedding day, okay? I want to see you in a pretty kimono."

“That’s..” Itachi sighs, this is a lot for him, but he can’t hide the feeling of relief untangling the knot from his stomach. A smile even threatens his lips. “I haven’t given the attire much thought.”

“So, you  _ are _ getting married!”

And this time he lets the smile show, “Yeah.”

**∞**

Itachi was well aware the Konoha elders found his methods odd; 

A murder of sensory crows perch beside the large windows behind his desk,

The ninja cats that freely roam in and out of his office and throughout the Hokage building like regulars.

He had heard the elders mention it amongst themselves before, but even they knew everyone and everything had its purpose and chose to keep their grumbling to a quiet whisper.

As of now, an old tabby has wandered in through the window and found home on his desk, stretching its fluffy figure out across its surface. Though Itachi doesn’t recognize him as one of his usual Ninneko, he isn’t above offering gentle belly rubs and head scratches while Sakura briefs him on information about the clinics and behavioral health buildings in Konoha.

Itachi looks over the papers on his desk, an orange paw spread across them. “I’ll suggest the expansion tomorrow with the council. We’ll go from there.” He smiles, “I appreciate what you’ve been doing alongside Lady Tsunade and I know the job can be taxing. For now, get some rest, Sakura. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”

“Thank you, sir.” She nods before taking her leave.

Itachi sighs and lets his eyes close once the door shuts behind her. “You’re getting creative.”

The cat lifts its head and offers a curling Cheshire smile. “You’re no fun.”

Itachi doesn’t flinch, opening his eyes to reveal the bright hue of his sharingan.

He’s gotten used to the tricks by now.

“I’ve already put the cat ears away, you won’t see them again for the rest of the night.” A tiny smile tugs at the corner of his lips, but he wills it away with a sigh. “And, for the sake of my own image, I refuse to openly have a conversation with a cat without them.”

“You have wandering eyes on every floor, it’s not like I have many options to work with.” Obito’s dark voice echoes about the room. 

“Might I suggest a house plant next time?” Itachi shuffles a few papers and sets his feather pen in its holder. “Less obvious, and they need the carbon dioxide. I’ll even name it Tobi.”

“Very funny.” The space just in front of Itachi’s desk twists and distorts out of shape before the older Uchiha swirls into view.

“Good evening.” Itachi hums, dispelling the genjutsu with calm eyes. The cat rolls onto its side and fades from view, subsequently freeing the papers in his hand. Obito turns his back to him and leans against his desk. 

“You could do with less ninja around. Even I know you don’t need them. They’re unnecessary.”

“My guards are doing as instructed and should be viewed with respect.”

Obito doesn’t answer at first, and Itachi watches as he takes one of his sakura mochi from his plate, squishes it twice and lifts his mask to take a bite.

He continues, “I take it the assignment went well. Izumi’s team didn’t run into many opponents on her escort mission. Thank you.”

Obito doesn’t answer but shrugs his shoulders and reaches for another. “If there’s money to be paid, we’ll do the job. No need to thank us each time.”

“Force of habit.”

There’s a knock on the door that seems to break the illusion and calls Itachi's attention toward it quickly. When he looks back, Obito and his entire plate of sakura mochi are gone.

With a sigh, he dispels his sharingan and tells them to come in.

Shisui pokes his head in first before entering, arms moving to casually cross in front of his chest. “Your precious little brother is back from patrolling early. Something about ‘making an exception to spend time with his family every once in a while.”

“Sounds like you were the one to finally convince him.” And he doesn’t fight the small smile that starts to tug at the corner of his lips. He chuckles, “I’ve seen very little of him since my inauguration.”

“Speaking of that,” the smile on Shisui’s lips could likely touch both ears if he really wanted it to. “This is certainly a sight for sore eyes.” 

“You're not allowed to use that idiom anymore.” Itachi hums and signs off on a few more papers, trying and failing to keep his attention focused enough to finish. “But, I’m glad you like what you see.” 

Shisui snorts and makes a beeline for Itachi behind his desk. “I always do.” he brushes his hands along Itachi's cheeks and thumbs at the soft curtains of hair decorating the frame of his face. He leans down, kisses the top of his head and lingers for a moment. “I’m proud of you, Itachi. I always knew you could do it.”

Itachi leans into the touch, the words sinking in and weighing on his heart like an anchor. Though he loved his clan, their endless praise tended to fall on deaf ears and yet, somehow, Shisui managed to make those same words sound as if they were the only ones that truly mattered.

He lets his eyes close, lingering in Shisui's caress for just a moment longer. “I don't think I'd be here without you.”

“Don't see yourself short,” and Itachi feels another kiss to the top of his head before Shisui’s pulling away. “I never doubted you’d get this far and now I want to see you go further.”

“Ambitious as ever.”

“You're the one who always said Hokage was a goal but not your dream. Seeing you here was  _ my  _ dream, now I want to see you achieve yours.”

A familiar feeling begins to well up in his chest. One from so many years ago he’d forgotten he’d kept it locked away deep in his heart. The corners of his eyes prickle and it takes every bit of his willpower to push away the want to cry. Shisui notices and Itachi feels his hands slip along his cheeks again and coax his face up to meet his eyes.

He doesn't say anything— doesn't have to. The kiss he presses to Itachi's parted lips is more than enough for them both.

“Why don't we have dinner with your family tonight?” He asks, forehead pressed to Itachi's. “I’ll talk to your dad, Sasuke’ll be there as promised— I know how much you miss him.” 

Itachi had maybe seen Sasuke a handful of times since they’d returned, and though he’d like to convince himself it was due to his brother’s new occupation in the Konoha Police Force, he secretly believed Sasuke was actively choosing to avoid him.

Still, Shisui was right in reading him, as he tended to be and Itachi figured the paperwork could wait a few hours or so until morning. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been home for dinner and maybe ending the night with the people who loved him wasn't such a bad idea after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> First and foremost, I want to thank flameofarcana and cherryberry12 for looking this over and encouraging me to post (it likely would've stayed in my drafts if i'm honest). 
> 
> This is mostly the accumulation of all of my Hokage Itachi headcanons and random musings wrapped up into a (semi) neat little package. Eventually, I'd like this to be in three parts but maybe that's just me being a little ambitious.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy.✨  
> (Tags will be updated with each chapter.)


End file.
